Track for litter-carriers.



C. M. STEVENSON. TRACK FOR LITTER CARRIERS.

APPLIOATION FILED r23 3, 1911.

Patented Sept. 12, 1911.

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UNITED STATS All T FFIfiE.

CHARLES M. STEVENSON, OF ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T HUNT, HELM, FERRIS & COMPANY, OF HARVARD, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

TRACK FOR LITTER-CARRIERS.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that 1, CHARLES M. STEVEN- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rockford, in the county of Winnebago and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tracks for Litter-Carriers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in tracks for litter-carriers and the like, and is fully described and explained in the specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved device; Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detailed elevation of a portion of the track looking from the side opposite to that from the view in Fig. 1 a portion of the forked end of the strut being shown in section; Fig. 4 is a section in the line 4 of Fig. 1 through the rigid track only, and Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 of Fig. 1.

In litter-carrier practice there are two well-known types of track, one flexible and the other rigid. The flexible track is usually made in the form of a round rod or heavy wire which is stretched about from place to place and is usually supported wholly by its ends. This track is especially desirable for use outside the barn or the building in which the carrier runs because it requires no special frame-work to support it and because a carrier can be pushed out on it and made to dump itself by striking a suitable tripping mechanism and when it dumps the track will spring up, so as to return the carrier to the barn automatically. This flexible track is therefore largely used for entire installation of litter-carriers, but inside the barn or building it is open to considerable objection. Within the building a rigid track can be readily secured to the girders used in the building construction itself so that the objection to rigid track which applies out of doors in that a special supporting means is necessary, is of no consequence. Furthermore, inside of the building vertical space is usually at somewhat of a premium and it is not desirable to have the carrier springing up and clown-because when empty it may be too high for convenience and when full it may be too low for convenience. The carrier is usually sent outside the building for dumping purposes only, and these variations in height are unimportant. The flexible Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 13, 1911.

Patented Sept. 12, 1911.

Serial No. 608,199.

track is particularly disadvantageous, however, when used in connection with curves. These curves are made by crossing two of the flexible tracks over each other and connecting them by a sector-shaped track bent into an arc of a suitable angle, the sectorshaped track being supported wholly by the two flexible tracks which are joined. Thus, when a carrier rounds a curve its weight has to be entirely transferred from one flexible track to the other. The carrier thus, when it reaches a curve, greatly depresses the end which it is approaching and has to be pushed up hill until it reaches the center of the curve when its weight is suddenly transferred to the section of track upon which it is next to run, the curve then suddenly tilts downward in that direction and the carrier runs off at high speed in that direction. Thus for a number of reasons a rigid track is peculiarly desirable iii-doors and the flexible track is peculiarly desirable outdoors. The present invention is designed to furnish a com posite structure having all the advantages of both forms of construction.

Referring to the drawings, A is the flexible track which, it will be noted is brought just inside the building, is then led over a strut a forked at its lower end and up to an eye a secured to some part of the building so as to give a firm support. It will be understood, of course, that the track stretches from the building to any desired point outside the same. The flexible track is shown as of the round rodor heavy wire type upon which run hangers provided with grooved pulleys or rollers.

B is the rigid track, the same being shaped to receive a similar wheel or roller. This track is made hollow in form and is shown as slotted at the bottom.

C are brackets arranged at suitable intervals, each consisting of a vertical portion 0 supported at its upper end to the structure, a horizontallyextending portion 0 which reaches laterally from the vertical portion 0 to an extent suflicient to permit the hanger to clear the bracket, and a head 0 fitting the hollow of the track B. By this system of support a substantially rigid rod track is provided within the barn which, interchangeably with the flexible rod track, will receive the grooved wheels of a litter-carrier.

The rigid track and the flexible track are joined in the following manner. The end of a a portion 6 parallel with the portion Z) but offset laterally therefrom and a curved portion 6 connecting the portions .7) and 72 The portion 6 which is tapered at its end is fitted over the flexible track A just beyond the strut a, a notch 6 being provided in the side of the rigid track where the curved portion I)? commences, to permit the flexible track to issue from the interior of the rigid track, in the manner illustrated.

bracket 1),, similar to the bracket G, ex.- cept that its head is notched at d is located at the p ll-t W ere h flexib ra k lies inide h rig d t ack, the tng un r the flexible track as illustrated in Fig. 5.

I am aware that considerable variation is possible. the construction herein shown, which is merely a preferred form embodying my invention, and, by describing said pre-. ferred iorm in detail 1 do not intend to limit myself thereto, intention being to claim all the novelty inherent in the construction as broadly as the state of the art will permit,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In combination, a hollow rigid track having av main portion, a diagonal portion, and a tip parallel to the main portion, a. flexible track running over a support adjacent to the main portion of the rigid track through the tip and thence outward in a direction parallel to the main portion of the rigid track.

2. In combination, a straight rigid track and a flexible track, the outer end of the rigid and the inner end of the flexible track being adjacent to each other, a support for the inner end of the flexible track out of the plane of the rigid track, the rigid track terminating in a laterally extending part receiving the flexible track within it.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and atlixed my seal this 7th day of b, 1.911,

oininirs 1. STEVENSON. [n 8.]

In the presence of two subscribing witnesses R. N J ooiss, R. A. HnMnNWAY.

iive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

